Lock means for the steering handle shaft of an automobile

Claim 1

A lock means for a steering handle shaft of an automobile, comprising a housing, a lock releasing member in said housing rotatable reciprocally between a lock position and a starter actuating position along with a rotary member of a cylinder lock, a lock member operating in association with the operation of said lock releasing member to lock the steering handle shaft, means for holding said rotary member and said lock releasing member against rotation to the lock position for the steering handle shaft other than when the automobile is parked, means for maintaining said holding means in the state of holding said rotary member and said lock releasing member against rotation to the steering handle shaft locking position, a restricting pin reciprocable between said holding position and an inoperative position included in said holding means and biased to said inoperative position, and a stopper for cooperation with said restricting pin provided on said lock releasing member, said maintaining means including a press lever disposed on a bracket fixed to the housing in a manner to be rotatable about a pivot thereof and having one end in contact with an end of the restricting pin and the other end connected with an end of an operating wire by means of a clamp, said operating wire having an end member at its other end, a compression coil spring in contact with said end member and urging same and said wire in a direction such that said one end of said press lever retains said restricting pin in said holding position, and a press member attached to a portion of a shift lever of said automobile and operably associated with said end member, said press member being operable to move said end member against the extensible force of said spring to permit rotation of said press lever about said pivot and movement of said restricting pin to said inoperative position under its bias when the shift lever is moved to a parking position.